The Most Popular Personalized Childs Gifts for Summer Break

personalized child gifts

Summer is almost here, and that means school is out. Whether your kids will be at home, at camp, or engaged in summer activities, there is never a wrong time to show your love with a thoughtful gift. And what’s more thoughtful, than something custom-made just for them? Why not get them a personalized gift?

Personalized items excite children, who love to see their name on things or hear it in adventures in books, games, and videos. There’s a practical aspect as well, since at the pool, around the campfire, or at home in the yard, items with your child’s name on them can be found more easily. Plus, personalized items for kids make great keepsakes for parents when the little ones grow up.

Personalized gifts can literally be anything, from hairbrushes with names on them to game pieces with your child’s photo glued to them; it is thrilling for a child to receive something that is truly their own. Here are some fun suggestions for personalized gifts for the children in your life this summer:

Dishes and Flatware

Whether camping, boating, or hanging out at home, personalized dishes and flatware will see a lot of use and will always be loved. Names printed on a dish or mug or engraved on the handle of a knife-and-fork set will also encourage your little eater to join the Clean Plate Club, just so they can see their name under the food. Personalized children’s dishes and flatware can feature personalized designs, or they can have familiar characters on them, such as Disney or Dora the Explorer.

Books

What’s better than reading a book about your favorite characters? How about starring in a book with your favorite characters? Children will delight in personalized books, as they can read (or be read to) about their adventures with their heros and heroines. Personalized books put your child in the center of the action, holding some pivotal role in resolving the plot. Your child can have a true summer adventure, and read about it all summer long!

personalized child gifts

Blankets and Bedtime

Bedtime comes every night, even over the summer. No child is ever happy about going to bed, but personalized bedding can make it a little more fun. Whether in their bedroom or camping out, kids will always get a lot of use from pajamas, blankets, slippers, pillows, or even sleeping bags.

Dolls and Stuffed Toys

A personalized doll or stuffed animal can come in a few different varieties. Having your child’s name embroidered on the animal or the doll’s clothing is a common one, but that’s not the only way to personalize these toys! Dolls and stuffed toys can be memorialized in a frame with a nameplate, creating a souvenir that will last a lifetime. Stuffed toys can also be made from old baby clothes or favorite but frayed blankets. In a neat twist, You can even get a doll that looks just like them!

Tote Bags and Backpacks

On the nature trail, at the playground, or at home, kids have a lot of things they like to carry around. You can give them bags and backpacks to put their belongings in, and something personalized will ensure that nothing ever gets left behind! A bag with stuff in it gives a child a sense of ownership, and having their name on it reinforces to kids that everything in the bag is really theirs.

personalized child gifts

Creative Arts

Kids love to draw, paint, and use their imaginations. The refrigerator door has been the traditional place to keep these masterpieces, but they can be transferred onto fabric or enlarged and framed for the wall. Personalized paper dolls of the whole family can provide hours of fun. Journals and sketchbooks with your child’s name on them can encourage masterpieces for years to come!

With so many ways to personalize gifts for kids this summer, it is so easy to find a gift your child will love. No matter how your kids spend their summer, there is a personalized gift out there just for them. Literally calling your child by name, a personalized gift can provide magical memories for generations to come!

Helping Children Cope with Separation Anxiety

Anxious Kids

It is completely normal for a child to feel anxious or nervous when saying goodbye to mom or dad. This feeling is a natural part of development, but it can be more difficult to deal with for some kids. Going to daycare, starting school, or even leaving the room can have some kids feeling upset, but the variation in this experience for some children can be quite significant. Many children experience some form of separation anxiety from the time they are about a year old until they are around 4, though it is still common and not too unusual for older children to experience this as well. But in order to make the separation easier to handle, it helps to know what you can do to ease their worry and help them feel more comfortable.

Ease Into It

It helps to practice leaving your child for short periods of time before anything drastic like the first day of school or the first day at an all-day day care. Simply leaving the room for periods of time while the child is supervised can help. Children who grow up with babysitters or are taken care of by grandparents or other family members during the day while their parents work tend to experience less separation anxiety because they are used to the experience but are still in a safe and comfortable (if not already familiar) environment. Practicing separation can be difficult for some kids, but the more commonplace it is, the less scary it may seem.

Check Your Schedule

Younger children tend to experience more intense forms of separation anxiety when they are tired or hungry, so try to work around nap and snack times. Leaving your child during these times of day can increase their anxiety and make them more upset or less likely to adapt to the situation.

Make it a Habit

Developing a goodbye or parting ritual can help normalize separation for shorter periods of time. If children associate this ritual with positive thoughts, memories, and affirmations, it can make the time apart much easier to handle as well.

Separation can be more of an issue for some kids than others, and if your child has particular trouble with the ordeal, then they may have other anxiety issues that need addressing. It’s important to discuss any problems with a primary care physician or a child psychologist who can then help identify what your child is struggling with and how best to go about treatment.

Why Children Should Learn Other Languages

There are many inherent benefits to teaching your child to learn a second language early on, or at least encouraging them to do so. For parents who are bilingual or multilingual, teaching your child another language alongside English can be easy. For parents who only speak one language, accomplishing this becomes more challenging. Whether you speak more than one language or not, there are several ways to help encourage your child to learn new languages, which can help them build better communication skills, increase their global awareness, and help them perform better academically.

Books

There are many books out there that teach basic English vocabulary alongside that of other languages like Spanish and French. By introducing kids to other languages early, they are more likely to pick it up and be able to pronounce more complex sounds. As kids get older, they may begin reading books entirely in their second language, however, that depends on the fluency of the child or if a fluent parent is there to help.

Games and Apps

Being bilingual is highly encouraged in academic spaces as well as in the job market, so it’s no wonder there are so many more fun opportunities for people of all ages to pick up a new language. There are kids games and activities that can help teach vocabulary, but there are also free apps like Duolingo that provide interactive lessons in a variety of different languages. Parents can have fun joining their kids in these activities and may just pick up some skills, too!

Travel

Traveling abroad is a great way to instill your child with inspiration. Learning about other places, cultures, and people can inspire kids to take a more active role in learning another language while also helping them become more globally minded individuals as they get older.

Family Matters

If you have family that lives abroad, or even if your ancestors were from a particular country, learning more about them, where they came from, and what language they spoke can be an interesting way of getting back to your roots. Families with older generations that still speak other languages can also be a big help, plus getting together for lessons or practice is a great way to spend time and make memories.